20 rep squat poundages

[MoralMan]

I managed 120kg /264lbs for 20 last night and felt dead after!!!
Is this respectable pounage or does it suck?
I ve seen guys on youtube doing easy 405 for 20.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

I managed 120kg /264lbs for 20 last night and felt dead after!!!
Is this respectable pounage or does it suck?
I ve seen guys on youtube doing easy 405 for 20.

Depends on what your BW is.  If you're 250 lbs, it's pretty lousy.  If you're 200 or below, it's not that bad.

Who on youtube have you seen doing an "easy" 405 for 20?  And is it to parallel?

[MoralMan]

Im about 220, ive seen the likes of justin harris doing it.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Im about 220, ive seen the likes of justin harris doing it.

Keep doing what you're doing and eventually work up to the 335-365 range on 20.  Then you'll be gold, for your BW.

[MisterMagoo]

it depends. do you train for sets of 20 on squats? if so, i'd agree with panda. if, on the other hand, you're like me and doing a set of 12 with 135 is a cardio workout, that might be okay.

it also depends if you mean a "get to 20 at all costs" set where you just don't rack the damn bar even if it takes you five minutes, or if you mean a normal set.

and damn, 365 for 20 would just be fucking insane. like, wow. damn.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

and damn, 365 for 20 would just be fucking insane. like, wow. damn.

Yeah, def.  If he's one of those 20-reppers, and that's all he does on squats, might as well shoot for the stars at a 220 BW.

I personally never did well on 20 reppers.  My conditioning always sucked, and still does.  I used to get winded as hell the one time I did 315x20 (at a BW of 290-295); I damn near passed out and was light headed for a good half hour after that.  On the other hand at that same BW I was also squatting 515 for a (fairly hard, TBH) top set of 8-10 reps, depending on energy levels on a given day.  Go figure.

I used to know a guy a few years back, a tall almost anorexic looking dude, 6'3" and around 210 lbs with long ass legs, who would rep out 335 for 20 like there was no tomorrow.  I never figured that one out.

[MisterMagoo]

the difference between 8 and 20 is astronomical on squats. on something like a leg press, depending on how big your middle is, if you can get it 10 times you can get 15. the distance the bar has to travel and the time you'll spend on the set is huge especially once that burn starts to set in.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

the difference between 8 and 20 is astronomical on squats. on something like a leg press, depending on how big your middle is, if you can get it 10 times you can get 15. the distance the bar has to travel and the time you'll spend on the set is huge especially once that burn starts to set in.

Oddly enough I never got that much of a burn per se on the high rep squats, or maybe I was just too focussed on the fact I was losing my breath   Seriously, I remember very clearly, like it was yesterday, that on that 315 set I stood there motionless with the bar on my shoulders for a good 5-10 seconds between each rep after about 10, just to catch my breath.  By the time rep 20 was done, that bar felt like 1000 lbs and my lungs felt like they were going to explode.

[MoralMan]

Well basically i wasnt getting far with leg development so started 20 reppers to change things last night  was the 2nd session of them.

I do a lot of running tho too so im wandering if that should be cut down drastically?

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Well basically i wasnt getting far with leg development so started 20 reppers to change things last night  was the 2nd session of them.

I do a lot of running tho too so im wandering if that should be cut down drastically?

I don't think running per se is going to impede your leg development. Just make sure 1) running is not sapping energy from your workouts, preventing you from moving higher in your poundages because your legs are in a perpetual state of light "pre-exhaustion" (this only applies if you run every day); 2) you replace, with more eating, the calories you burn by running.

[JasonH]

I was always under the impression that being able to do 20 reps on squats with at least your own bodyweight was respectable.

[MoralMan]

Theres a black guy at my gym, 215lbs, about 6 foot who does 405 for 28, amazing stuff.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Theres a black guy at my gym, 215lbs, about 6 foot who does 405 for 28, amazing stuff.

I agree, that's pretty damn impressive.  Unless he's ripped to the bone, 6' @ 215 is fairly skinny.  In general--but of course depending on the person--a lower BW is probably better for those "endurance" type squat sessions, whereas a higher BW is better for the lower rep.  Of course maybe I'm just making excuses for not being in shape

But hey, listen moralman, congrats on your PR.  That's a decent poundage--I should have been a bit more encouraging before.  I'm guessing you'll keep adding 5-10 lbs per week from here on out?

[MoralMan]

Ill try 5lbs a week and see how i go, gonna take it slow as i always had poor legs, yet my deads good!weird

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Ill try 5lbs a week and see how i go, gonna take it slow as i always had poor legs, yet my deads good!weird

That sounds like a plan.  Keep us posted on your progress.

[webcake]

If your training for bb'ing, then who cares what weight you use. You said yourself you were dead afterwards, so that sounds like it did the job.